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Posted by: Robert Casper
We at the Poetry and Literature Center are thrilled the Librarian has selected Charles Wright to be the twentieth Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry at the Library of Congress. And we’re not the only ones—the media response has been impressive. Peter Armenti has put together a terrific web guide for Mr. Wright, and he’s adding …
Posted in: Digital Resources, Poets Laureate
Posted by: Peter Armenti
The death of American poet, writer, and civil rights activist Maya Angelou has been widely covered by mainstream media, and thousands of heartfelt tributes and expressions of sorrow from admirers worldwide continue to pour in through social media. While all aspects of Angelou’s varied career have been the subject of recent discussion—including her early performances …
Posted in: Poets Laureate
Posted by: Robert Casper
Please forgive me—I couldn’t help that title! And I’m going to do a little bit of jumping around in this post. First, I want to let you know that tonight the final segment of “Where Poetry Lives” is airing on the PBS NewsHour. This segment brought our Laureate to Los Angeles, where she learned more …
Posted in: News and Events, Poets Laureate
Posted by: Robert Casper
It’s hard to believe that tonight Natasha Trethewey will conclude her laureateship. Just to remind you, here are the details: Wednesday, May 14, 7:00 PM POET LAUREATE FINAL LECTURE Natasha Trethewey will deliver her final lecture to conclude her second term as Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry and the spring literary season at the Library …
Posted in: News and Events, Poets Laureate
Posted by: Peter Armenti
Several readers submitted questions to me after my recent blog post on state poets laureate. They were surprised that their own state was one of only six—Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, and Pennsylvania—that does not have a state poet position, and wanted to know how they could help establish one. While I can’t …
Posted in: Poets Laureate
Posted by: Peter Armenti
It’s been a while since I provided an update on current state poets laureate. As of this writing, forty-two states have an official position of state poet laureate, while two states, Alaska and Idaho, have a position for “State Writer Laureate” and “Writer-in-Residence,” respectively. The position of state poet laureate or state writer is occupied …
Posted in: Poets Laureate
Posted by: Robert Casper
Tonight the next segment of Natasha Trethewey’s second-year project, “Where Poetry Lives,” airs on the PBS NewsHour. For this segment, Natasha traveled to her native Mississippi to participate in the 14th Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage, led by Congressman John Lewis. This segment marks a turn for the project: the first four highlighted poetry programs with …
Posted in: News and Events, Poets Laureate
Posted by: Robert Casper
Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey’s second-term project, “Where Poetry Lives,” has offered her the opportunity to see first-hand how poetry strengthens our communities. She has travelled from coast-to-coast and met people from different backgrounds and at different parts of their lives, all of whom connected to her and to each other through the art. I wrote …
Posted in: News and Events, Poets Laureate
Posted by: Peter Armenti
The following guest post is by Andrew Weber, a legislative information systems manager at the Library of Congress. It is cross posted on the Law Library’s blog, In Custodia Legis. Earlier this week, I made a trip to the attic of the Thomas Jefferson Building to see the Poetry and Literature Center of the Library …
Posted in: Digital Resources, Guest Posts, Poets Laureate